Larkin proves to be a great late pickup

CEDAR RAPIDS - What an emergency pickup this guy has turned out to be.

It was the final week of the preseason when Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson had to go out and find a goaltender. Not an enviable deal.

The University of New Hampshire was unexpectedly summoning second-year starter Danny Tirone to school for the second semester. Instead of having to break in a new netminder midway through the season, Carlson sent Tirone to a lower-level junior team on the East Coast.

Then he traded for the rights to Ryan Larkin, who was on the affiliate list of the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks. Fellow rookie Ben Blacker got most of the net work early in the season for the Riders, but Larkin got up to speed with everything and has been playing a lot more lately.

He took a 8-2 record, 2.17 goals against average and .926 save percentage into Friday's game at Dubuque. Not bad for a guy who wasn't supposed to be here.

'The practices early really helped me out,” Larkin said. 'These guys are some of the best shooters in the whole USHL, so those practices helped. My first game was in Madison, and I felt like I played pretty well. That was kind of like a tuneup game. From then on, I've been feeling better and getting more comfortable, and that's made it easier.”

Larkin, 17, originally was going to spend the season with the Michigan Warriors of the lower-level North American Hockey League. Flint, Mich., where the team is located, is only 27 miles from his hometown of Clarkston, Mich.

He already has committed to Miami (Ohio), where he will likely head in two years. Both he and Blacker were recently named to play in the USHL/NHL Prospects Game in Dubuque in a couple of weeks.

'Once I got to know these guys better here, that made it easier, too,” Larkin said. 'Once I felt part of the team and everything. They did a great job of welcoming me.

'It's crazy how things work out. My parents have always said everything happens for a reason. It has worked out for the best for me. I hope it has worked out for the best for Cedar Rapids, too.”

Riders Ramblings

- The RoughRiders hope to finally have a full lineup. Forwards Erik Foley and Adam Gaudette have served USHL suspensions for separate fighting incidents before the holiday breaok. Sickness has been a problem this week, with Foley and Blacker unavailable for a New Year's Eve loss at Green Bay. The 2-0 final marked the first time this season Cedar Rapids has been shutout.

- Winger Jiri Fronk of the RoughRiders remains atop the USHL in goals (18), though Waterloo's Brock Boeser has moved into a tie with him. Center Andrew Oglevie is fifth in assists (20) and leads the league in plus-minus rating (plus-21).

- After setting a USHL record with 12 consecutive road victories to begin the season, Cedar Rapids had lost three in a row away from home going into Friday's game at Dubuque.

- The RoughRiders' lead in the USHL's Eastern Conference was three points going into Friday. Muskegon was on their heels with 39 standings points. The Lumberjacks have a 18-8-3 record despite being even in goals scored and allowed (89-89). The Riders lead the USHL in goals (109) and fewest allowed (67).

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com